People sometimes look for a way to get sober quickly if they have to drive. Maybe they were at the bar with friends and didn’t realize how late it had gotten. They suddenly realize that the bar is closing, and it’s time to go home—but they’re still fairly intoxicated. They want to know if they can quickly sober up so that they can drive home without risking an accident or a drunk driving arrest.
But many of the tactics people use don’t actually have any impact on their blood alcohol concentration (BAC). For instance, some believe that drinking a cup of black coffee will quickly sober them up. In reality, all it does is wake them up thanks to the caffeine. Drivers may mistake feeling alert for being sober, but their BAC hasn’t changed.
Coffee isn’t the only myth. Other examples include drinking water, eating a big meal or taking a cold shower. None of these things lower a person’s BAC, so they could still be over the legal limit if they decided to drive.
What does work?
The reality is that the only thing that works is time. Once your BAC reaches a certain level, your body just has to metabolize the alcohol and remove it from your system. This happens at a steady rate of about 0.015% per hour.
This means it may take hours to get back down to a BAC of 0%. No amount of coffee, water or cold showers can speed up this process.
Legal defense options
Thanks to these myths and misconceptions, people sometimes find themselves facing drunk driving charges when they thought they were sober. If this happens to you, be sure you are well aware of all the criminal defense options at your disposal.